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Label-free detection of small organic molecules by MIPfunctionalized thermocouples: towards in vivo applications Hanne Diliën, Marloes M. Peeters, Jeroen Royakkers, Jules A.W. Harings, Peter Cornelis, Patrick Wagner, Erik Steen Redeker, Craig E Banks, Kasper Eersels, Bart van Grinsven, and Thomas J. Cleij ACS Sens., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.7b00104 • Publication Date (Web): 13 Apr 2017 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on April 14, 2017

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Label-free detection of small organic molecules by MIP-functionalized thermocouples: towards in vivo applications Hanne Diliën1#, Marloes Peeters2#, Jeroen Royakkers1, Jules Harings3, Peter Cornelis4, Patrick Wagner4, Erik Steen Redeker1, Craig E. Banks2, Kasper Eersels1,4, Bart van Grinsven1* and Thomas J. Cleij1 #

These authors contributed equally

*

This is the corresponding author

1) Maastricht University, Maastricht Science Programme, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands. 2) Manchester Metropolitan University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Science and the Environment, Division of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5GD, United Kingdom. 3) Maastricht University, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, Department of Biobased Materials, Brightlands Chemelot Campus, Urmonderbaan 22, 6167 RD, Geleen, The Netherlands. 4) KU Leuven, Soft-Matter Physics and Biophysics Section, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Celestijnenlaan 200 D, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.

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Abstract Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs), synthetic polymeric receptors, have been combined successfully with thermal transducers for the detection of small molecules in recent years. However, up until now they have been combined with planar electrodes which limits their use for in vivo applications. In this work, a new biosensor platform is developed by rollcoating MIP particles onto thermocouples, functionalized with polylactic acid (PLLA). As a first proof-of-principle, MIPs for the neurotransmitter dopamine were incorporated into PLLA-coated thermocouples. The response of the synthetic receptor layer to an increasing concentration of dopamine in buffer was analysed using a home-made heat-transfer setup. Binding of the template to the MIP layer, blocks the heat transport through the thermocouple, leading to less heat loss to the environment and an overall higher temperature in the measuring chamber. The measured temperature increase is correlated to the neurotransmitter concentration, which enables to measure dopamine levels in the micromolar regime. To demonstrate the general applicability of the proposed biosensor platform, thermocouples were functionalized with similar MIPs for cortisol and serotonin, indicating a similar response and limit-of-detection. As the platform does not require planar electrodes it can easily be integrated in e.g. a catheter. In this way, it is an excellent fit for the current niche in the market of therapeutics and diagnostics. Moreover, the use of a biocompatible and disposable PLLA-layer further illustrates its potential for in vivo diagnostics.

Keywords: Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs), dopamine, cortisol, serotonin, dip coating, Heat-Transfer Method (HTM), polylactic (L)-acid (PLLA).

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Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) are synthetic mimics of antibodies that have a predefined selectivity and affinity for their target molecule, similar to that of “natural” antibodies.1, 2 Additionally, they overcome many issues associated with the use of biological receptors because of their long-term chemical and thermal stability,3,

4

low-cost synthesis

process,5 and ability to tailor the MIPs to the application.6 There is an increasing interest to use these plastic antibodies in several areas, such as affinity separation ,7 clinical applications,8 and biosensing.9, 10 Traditionally, the main research focus lays in the area of affinity separation, with MIPs being commercially available in the shape of cartridges to extract and purify samples.7, 11 They have shown excellent selectivity, with the possibility to go down to the level of chiral separations and are compatible with extraction in complicated matrices.12,

13

Hoshino et al. have demonstrated that polymer nanoparticles can be used in

vivo to bind and remove the bee venom melittin,14 with the nanoparticles being cleared from the blood and excreted by the liver. Recently, Haupt et al. presented work with polymeric receptors as an active ingredient in a cosmetic product, where MIPs acts as specific scavengers to trap non-odorous precursors of malodours.15 However, the use for MIPs in biosensing platforms remains limited due to the lack of straightforward, fast and inexpensive read-out techniques,16,

17

and difficulty of direct

functionalization of polymer particles onto electrode surfaces.4, 18 To address the first issue, we will make use of the heat-transfer method (HTM), which ensures fast and low-cost detection compared to conventional chromatography techniques.19, 20 This versatile readout technique, was first reported by van Grinsven et al. in terms of DNA mutation analysis.21 In recent years, the platform has been combined with synthetic receptors for the detection of a wide range of targets ranging from small organic molecules22 to macromolecular targets such as mammalian cells and bacteria.23,

24

Although, the results of these experiments were

promising, the receptor layer was created by pressing the MIP particles into an adhesive

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layer, covering planar electrodes.18 This method is time-consuming, the adhesive layer is not biocompatible and a planar electrode is hard to incorporate into a platform for in vivo detection.25 Therefore, we propose a novel method for directly functionalizing a thermocouple wire that registers the temperature in a liquid compartment in time. The thermocouple was coated with a homogeneous biocompatible and biodegradable polylactic (L)-acid (PLLA) adhesive layer by dip coating.26, 27 The PLLA layer was then heated above its glass transition temperature giving it rubber like properties, which allows the MIP particles to sink into the layer after roll coating. In a first series of experiments, MIPs for dopamine were used to demonstrate the proof-ofprinciple. Dopamine (DA) was selected because its MIP synthesis has been well-established28 and it plays a central role in the efficient functioning of a variety of physiological processes.29 Additionally, dopamine is associated with various mental

disorders30, 31

and age-related

cognitive decline.32 MIP-functionalized thermocouples were exposed to increasing concentrations of dopamine and their response was analysed using a home-made heat-transfer setup.21 In this way, the platform was able to quantify dopamine concentrations in aqueous solutions in the range of 10-60 µM, which is within the physiologically relevant regime of dopamine in urine.33, 34 To illustrate that the concept can be readily extended towards the detection of other small organic molecules, thermocouples were functionalized with MIPs for cortisol and serotonin. The corticosteroid, hormone cortisol, plays an important role in the body’s response to stress,35 while the serotoninergic system steers numerous behavioural functions including emotion, sleep and appetite and is involved in numerous disorders including depression, anorexia and migraine.36 The results of these experiments demonstrate that the sensor

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responds to these targets when functionalized with the corresponding MIP in a manner similar to dopamine. The proposed functionalization procedure, combined with the low-cost nature of both the receptor layer and the readout methodology, illustrates the potential of the biosensor platform in terms of the current niche in the market of therapeutics and diagnostics for the rapid and inexpensive quantification of compounds in vivo. As the method allows to directly immobilize the receptor particles onto the thermocouple wire it can be readily extended towards e.g. coating a catheter for in vivo detection of small organic molecules in bodily fluids. Additionally, both the adhesive layer and the MIP particles are biocompatible and disposable, which are important characteristics in terms of in vivo diagnostic applications. Experimental Methods Reagents The chemicals for the MIP synthesis, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), methacrylic acid (MAA), dopamine hydrochloride salt (purity 99%), and the initiator 4,4’azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid) were purchased from Acros (Loughborough, United Kingdom). Hydrocortisone (purity 98%) and azobisisobutyronitrile were purchased from Acros (The Netherlands). Stabilizers in the monomers MAA and EGDMA were removed by running the solutions over an alumina packed column. PLLA 1010, used as the adhesive layer, was ordered from Corbion Purac (Amsterdam, The Netherlands). Thermocouples type K (0.5 mm x 30 mm) were obtained from TC Direct (Maarssen, The Netherlands). Functionalization approach Details of the dopamine and serotonin MIP synthesis protocols are described in.22, 37 After removal of the template from the MIPs, the bulk of the polymer was ground and sieved to obtain microparticles with sizes smaller than 10 µm. A nonimprinted reference (NIP) was synthesized in the same manner, but without the presence of dopamine. Cortisol MIPs were produced by dissolving hydrocortisone (0.5 mmol), MAA (5

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mmol), EGDMA (44.8 mmol) and azobisosobutyronitrile (0.2 mmol) in 7 ml chloroform. The mixture was degassed with nitrogen for 5 min and then placed in a rotating UV oven at 4˚C for 42 hours. The resulting polymer block was ground and sieved to obtain particles